Scissors or shears



(No Model.)

s. JENNINGS. SGISSORS 0R SHEARS No. 547,264. Patented 001;. 1, 1895.

UNITED STATES SIMEON I-I. JENNINGS CF DEEP RIVER, CONNECTICUT.

SCISSORS OR SHEARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,264, dated October 1,1895.

Application filed July 8, 1895. Serial No. 555,199- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIMEON II. JENNINGS, of Deep River, in the. county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Envelope-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure l, a side view of a pair of shears embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view on the line a b of Fig. 1.

This invention relates to an improvement in devices for opening envelopes, and particularly that class in which cutters are arranged to remove a narrow strip from the envelope. In many cases an ordinary pair of scissors are used, but in such cases the width of the strip cut cannot be gaged, and the contents of the envelope are frequently m utilated.

The object of this invention is to so. construct a pair of shears that the depth of the cut may be gaged, and in which the blades may be opened throughout their length by a slight movement of the handles; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

A represents one of the blades, which, on account of its natural position, and for convenience, I will call the upper blade, and B the lower blade. The cutting-edges of these blades overlap more at the point than at the butt, so that the blades may be separated throughout their entire length by a slight movement of the handles. Those blades are pivoted, as at C, and the handles A B extend downward at an inclination and are provided with finger-loops of any desired style. From the cutting-edge of the blade A a flange a, de-

ponds, and is offset therefrom so as to form a space 1) between its innerface and the blade B, the offset corresponding to the width of the strip to be out. In operation the handles are separated slightly, which, owing to the inclination of the blades, will separate the blades throughout their entire length. An envelope may then be inserted between them, with one end thereof resting against. the flange a. The handles are then drawn together, which forces the edges of the blades past each other, cutting a narrow strip from the envelope, it being understood that the inclination of the edges is such as to give the necessary shearing out. By this construction a very simple device is provided, and by the use of which a narrow strip may be cut from the end of an envelope without danger of mutilating the contents thereof, and, as before stated, owing to the inclination of the cut tin g-edges of the blades and the bent handles, the blades are separated by a slight move ment of the handles.

I am aware that shears having handles bent at an angle therefrom are old, and that out ters have been formed with a flange to limit the extent of cut, and therefore do not wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, such as my invention.

I claim The hereindescribed envelope opener, consisting of a pair of blades pivoted together at their butt ends, and constructed with handles inclined from said blades, the cutting edges of said blades tapering from the rivet to the pointsand so that when the points are separated the edges of the blades will be separated throughout their entire length, and a flange depending from the cutting edge of the upper blade and offset therefrom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this I specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIMEON H. JENNINGS. Witnesses:

R. L. SELDEN, J11, E. L. SELDEN. 

